Pinar Del Rio Weather Update

[El Presidente]

Good growing season to date. December forecast looks picture perfect. 

Fingers crossed the below plays out. 

[JohnS]

Thanks El Pres. Yes, let's hope that it's a great month weather-wise.

[Nino]

18 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Good growing season to date. December forecast looks picture perfect. 

Fingers crossed the below plays out. 

 

 

9 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Thanks El Pres. Yes, let's hope that it's a great month weather-wise.

@El Presidente @JohnS - Rob, John,

I was in PdR with some fellow members of FoH just 10 days ago - the planting had not begun yet, the seeds were not in the soil, and yet all 3 Vegueros we visited were telling us that this years harvest is going to be bad and at least 20-30% less productive than last years ....

Now, you tell me why.

Hint : Has nothing to do with the weather.

[Wookie]

Can't afford fertilizer?

[JohnS]

7 minutes ago, nino said:

 

@El Presidente @JohnS - Rob, John,

I was in PdR with some fellow members of FoH just 10 days ago - the planting had not begun yet, the seeds were not in the soil, and yet all 3 Vegueros we visited were telling us that this years harvest is going to be bad and at least 20-30% less productive than last years ....

Now, you tell me why.

Hint : Has nothing to do with the weather.

"Cuba being Cuba"...again!

[Nino]

1 minute ago, Wookie said:

Can't afford fertilizer?

Close but no .... ?

[Nino]

Just now, JohnS said:

"Cuba being Cuba"...again!

Nope ...

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I think that @nino is suggesting that the next few years will see excellent tobacco used in farm rolls. Say ... maybe about 5,000 hectares worth?

[Nino]

2 minutes ago, Nekhyludov said:

I think that @nino is suggesting that the next few years will see excellent tobacco used in farm rolls. Say ... maybe about 5,000 hectares worth?

Totally off-course ... try again,

[Wookie]

Have to use oxen becaus no gas for tractors? Or no spare parts?

[rk1900]

They don't have the seeds yet.

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, nino said:

 

Now, you tell me why.

 

Nino, In June I was was with a distributor who was telling me that Tabacuba/habanos were perplexed at how what was planted in 16/17 and 17/18  (good seasons) wasn't being reflected in processed tobacco inventory. 

I suggested that there was no need to call in Scotland Yard 

 

[SCgarman]

What is this a guessing game? Please do tell us why. 

[Corylax18]

39 minutes ago, Wookie said:

Have to use oxen becaus no gas for tractors? Or no spare parts?

We have a winner!! I was with Nino when two farmers told use roughly the same thing. Not enough fuel meant more manual labor in the fields and a 3 to 4 week delay for most farmers. Late planting means more irrigation late in the season, which means more petrol is needed to run the irrigation pumps. 

Hector is lucky/smart. He has a tractor and oxen, but 10 days ago the seedlings were still only a few inches tall. I saw one farm that had knee high plants, otherwise, it was miles of open fields. 

If the weather holds, there is no reason to believe quality will suffer, but the word is that many farmers planted less tobacco, anticipating that the growing season would require even more work than usual. 

[Nino]

From the last post on my blog about the trip :

"We learned a few new interesting things during the Vegas trip - all farmers we spoke to were certain this coming harvest would be much smaller in size, even before they had begun planting the seeds - not because of weather conditions, fertilizer problems or anything else but due to the severe shortages of petrol in Cuba that hinder the irrigation process and proper caretaking of the many production steps that require machines ....

Why do these great people have to deal with so many obstacles and problems to provide us with the best cigars in the world ..."

[Derboesekoenig]

52 minutes ago, nino said:

 

Why do these great people have to deal with so many obstacles and problems to provide us with the best cigars in the world ..."

 

In short, I think most of us would like to blame Communism...

[Nino]

55 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

In short, I think most of us would like to blame Communism...

While the system in Cuba is not productive or favourable to private enterprise the petrol shortage is not the farmers fault.

Blame whoever you want or suits you best depending on your POV ...